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First Aid in Canada: Emergency Tips for Newcomers

Moving to a new country comes with many firsts. You may be learning a new city, a new school system, a new job, or a new health care system.

One important thing to learn is how to get help in an emergency.

In Canada, first aid and emergency preparedness can help you protect yourself, your family, and your community. You do not need to know everything at once. You can start with a few simple steps.

This guide explains basic first aid and emergency preparedness; it does not replace official first aid training. If there is an emergency and someone needs help right away, call 911 or your local emergency number.

World First Aid Day 2026 focuses on First Aid in Migration Contexts. This theme highlights the role of first aid in supporting migrants, displaced people, newcomers, and the communities that welcome them.  In 2024, there were an estimated 304 million international migrants worldwide, showing why first aid education should be clear, practical, and accessible across languages and cultures.

How to identify an emergency

Sometimes, it's easy to see when an emergency is happening. Emergencies around the world often look quite similar. However, if you're new to Canada, you might feel unsure about your instincts. To help you out, we've put together some examples to guide your judgment in assessing someone who may be sick or injured. Once you receive first aid training, you'll feel more confident in identifying these situations. Always trust your instincts, and if you're unsure, don't hesitate to make the call for help if you think there might be an emergency.

For instance, if you hear someone screaming or calling for help, notice a strange smell, see someone bleeding heavily, or spot someone lying still on the ground, these are clear signs that immediate action is needed. However, sometimes, emergencies can be less obvious. You might notice slight changes in a person's usual appearance or behaviour, or it might suddenly be unusually quiet around them. Here are some common signs that could indicate an emergency:
  • Screaming, moaning, shouting, or calls for help
  • Sudden loud noises such as breaking glass, clashing metal, or screeching tires
  • A change in the sound made by machinery or equipment
  • An unusual silence
  • A stopped vehicle on the roadside or a car that has run off the road
  • Downed electrical wires
  • Sparks, smoke, or fire
  • A person who suddenly collapses or is lying motionless
  • Signs or symptoms of illness or injury, such as profuse sweating for no apparent reason or an uncharacteristic skin colour
  • A foul or unusually strong chemical odour
  • The smell of smoke
  • The smell of gas
  • An unrecognizable odour
  • An inappropriate odour (e.g., a sickly-sweet odour on a person's breath
  • Confusion in a person who is normally alert
  • Unusual drowsiness
  • Personality or mood changes (e.g., agitation in a person who is normally calm)

Can you get in trouble for helping someone in Canada?

In Canada, you generally will not get in trouble for helping someone in an emergency. In many provinces and territories, Good Samaritan laws protect people who voluntarily help in an emergency, as long as they act reasonably and are not grossly negligent.

Almost every Canadian province and territory has legislation (often called a "Good Samaritan Act" or similar) that protects bystanders who provide voluntary first aid. For example, the Ontario Good Samaritan Act or BC Good Samaritan Act. These laws assume you will do your best to save a life or prevent additional injury. Quebec is the only province with a "duty to rescue", meaning you are required by law to provide help to someone in danger if you can do so without putting yourself or others in danger.
You are only expected to act in a way that a reasonable person would in similar circumstances. For example, a reasonable and prudent person would call 911 or their local emergency number if they witness an immediate life-threatening emergency.
In most provinces and territories, you are completely legally entitled to walk away or you can choose to call 911 or your local emergency number and wait for help to arrive. If you begin to help, do not leave the person. Stay with them until more advanced care takes over, or the person can care for themselves. You do not have a legal duty to physically intervene unless you are involved in a motor vehicle accident at the scene or have the person legally "in your charge" (e.g., child or baby in your care).

First aid tips for newcomers in Canada

Emergency responders need to know where to go. Learn how to say or find:

  • Your home address
  • Your apartment or unit number
  • Your nearest main street
  • Your workplace or school address
  • Your child's daycare or school address
  • If you are outside, look for signs, buildings, street names, or landmarks.
Keep your address written down near your phone or saved in your mobile device. This can help you share your location quickly during an emergency. You can also teach children and older family members how to say their address and call for help.

At the same time, understanding the risks in your community will help you build an emergency plan for you and your family.

Save important phone numbers in your phone. You may want to include:

  • A trusted family member
  • A friend or neighbour
  • Your child's school or daycare
  • Your doctor or clinic
  • Your workplace contact
It can also help to keep a printed copy at home.
  • Include your address, everyone's date of birth, health card numbers, medical conditions, allergies, and prescriptions and dosages.
  • List the names and phone numbers of your doctors.
  • Post the numbers for the police, fire department, emergency medical services (EMS), and poison centre near every phone in your home, and save them in your mobile phone's contacts list.
  • If you have a chronic medical condition like diabetes, epilepsy, or allergies, it's wise to wear a medical identification product. This way, emergency medical services (EMS) can be alerted to your condition if you're unable to communicate it yourself. You can find a suitable tag on our eShop.
An emergency kit can help you care for yourself and others. Keep basic supplies at home. You may also want a smaller kit in your car, backpack, or workplace. Make sure everyone in the family knows where they are and what is in them.

What should be in a basic first aid kit? A first aid kit should be easy to find and easy to carry. Learn what a basic kit may include. Check your kit often. Replace expired or used items.
The Canadian Red Cross First Aid App gives simple, step-by-step first aid tips on your phone. It can help you review what to do in common emergencies. The app is free and available for Apple and Android devices.

​​​​​​Make sure to review and practice the first aid skills you learn, so you feel confident and prepared to help in an emergency. If you haven't taken a first aid course yet, look for one in your area. A course can help you learn how to:

  • Check if a scene is safe
  • Call for help
  • Give CPR
  • Use an automated external defibrillator, also called an AED
  • Help someone who is choking
  • Control bleeding
  • Care for burns, falls, and other injuries
You do not need a medical background to learn first aid. A Canadian Red Cross first aid course can help you feel more ready to respond. You can learn how to help someone until professional help arrives.

How to get emergency help in Canada?

Call 911 in Canada only when you are experiencing or witnessing an immediate life-or-death emergency that requires urgent assistance from police, fire, or paramedic services.

Common scenarios that warrant a 911 call include:

  • Medical emergencies: Signs of a heart attack (such as chest pain), stroke symptoms, severe bleeding, or trouble breathing.
  • Active fires: Smoke, visible fire, or an active carbon monoxide alarm.
  • Crimes in progress: Break-ins, assaults, dangerous driving (like suspected impaired driving), or witnessing a serious traffic collision with injuries.
If you are not sure whether the situation is an emergency, call 911 and let the call taker guide you.

Most communities are served by the emergency telephone number 911. However, if your area doesn't use a 911 system, it's a good idea to look up the emergency contact numbers for your local police department, fire department, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in your phone directory or online. Don't forget to include the national poison centre phone number 1-844 POISON-X (1-844-764-7669) or if you are in Quebec the Québec Poison Control Centre at 1 800 463 5060 . Make sure everyone in your household knows how and when to use these numbers effectively.
For minor traffic collisions without injuries, general police inquiries, power outages, or non-emergent medical advice, avoid 911 or your local emergency numbers so that emergency lines remain open for critical situations.
If you accidentally dial 911, do not hang up. Stay on the line and inform the dispatcher that it was a mistake. Hanging up may prompt dispatchers to send emergency services to your location to verify your safety.

Emergencies can feel more stressful when you are worried about language. If you call 911 or your local emergency number, say the language you speak if you can. For example:

  • "Spanish"
  • "Arabic"
  • "Mandarin"
  • "Punjabi"
  • "I need an interpreter."

Many emergency systems can connect callers with interpretation services. Availability can vary by location, so the most important step is still to call 911 or your local emergency number in an emergency and stay on the line. For example, E-Comm, which handles emergency communications in many parts of British Columbia, says it can access 24-hour interpretation in more than 200 languages.

Emergencies can happen anywhere. They can happen at home, at work, at school, outdoors, or in the community. First aid skills can help you stay calm and take action when someone needs help.

For newcomers to Canada, learning first aid is also a way to build confidence, safety, and connection. You can help protect your family. You can support your neighbours. You can be ready when it matters most.

First aid saves lives. Take one step today to be prepared.